queerspace Archives

The History of LGBT (now LGBTQ+) in Northern Ireland

Our Pride 1991 – by Terry McFarlane

The history of the LGBT (now LGBTQ+) in N Ireland is layered with groups that started to pursue a particular ideal missing from the community at the time.

Groups such as:

NIGRA
Cara Friend
COSO
GLYNI
Belfast Butterfly Group
Queerspace
Rainbow Project

Out of these groups came various local publications, e.g.

Gay Star
upstart
Update
NIGRA News
Gay Community News

The History of LGBT (now LGBTQ+) in Northern Ireland

But we also provided meeting spaces for individuals and groups, and the development of our own local lending library in the Carpenter Centre, Long Lane, Belfast. This library held:

Books (both fiction and non-fiction)
Magazines

o Foreign:

- - The Advocate (USA)
  - Christopher Street (USA)
  - Curve (USA)
  - Physique Magazine (USA) – a few copies
  - Zipper (*****)
  - Gai pied (French)
  - Lambda (Italian)
  - De Gayt Krant (Dutch)

o Great Britain

- - Boyz
  - The Quorum
  - ScotsGay
  - Pink News
  - Gay Times
  - Gay News
  - Attitude
  - Diva
  - Fyne Times

o Posters (both local and from abroad)

o Banners (for various organisations)

o Placards

NIGRA Banner at Pride

It was in a lot of ways our history repository.

The History of LGBT (now LGBTQ+) in Northern Ireland

Unfortunately, when we had to move to the Cathedral Buildings due to redevelopment, a lot of our history was lost, but still some of has found its way to.

The Ulster Museum – https://www.ulstermuseum.org/
The Linen Hall Library – https://www.linenhall.com/
PRONI – https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/public-record-office-northern-ireland-proni

For people to access and learn about our history.

We need to develop spaces for writers, artists, and musicians within our community. Yes, we need those spaces for well-being, befriending etc., but why have we limited ourselves?

I was thinking about when I first realised, I was gay, and how access to books and magazines seemed to be so restrictive. But, after careful consideration what I have realised was that in terms of today, we had many more venues in which we could get a book or a magazine. We had at least eight different bookstores we could visit, and then there were the various corner stores and bars that welcomed LGBT clientele (some grudgingly) but also stocked the various free gay magazines and papers. An enticement no doubt to bring people in, but at least they were there.

Today, we are a larger more supportive society, but, though we have the internet, Amazon, online magazines (which we mostly have to pay for) and a quarterly printed magazine (Attitude) available in some selected outlets (or by post), we seem to have less well written and researched news, less knowledge about the books that are available or the movies that are coming out (unless they are blockbusters).

We are also getting to that time in history when people who fought and made our history are reaching the end of their life. Often without their history being noted, recorded, and save for our future. Once they die, there is no way of returning that historical knowledge.

We have in part a way of saving our history, which is the LGBTHISTORYNI online archive site, but our community needs to get behind it, get involved with it and start telling everyone about our history.

LGBTHistoryNI

Links:

1991 A Belfast Pride to be remembered!
Stories of hidden LGBT history

Go to LGBTHistoryNI

Visit LGBTHistoryNI and get involved in recording our history

Go NOW

Queerspace celebrated Christmas in style with support from Andrew Muir, the Mayor of North Down, Lord Mayor of Belfast Máirtín Ó Muilleoir and the Rev. Chris Hudson MBE from All Souls Church. The festivities commenced with a packed bus tour, generously supported by the Department of Social Development. A sea of red Santa hats brightened up the streets of Belfast and back to a Christmas Party with refreshing mull wine and fine snacks prepared by a small army of volunteers.

The Lord Mayor of Belfast said “I am delighted be here at the LGB&T Centre in Waring Street celebrating Christmas with our friends from the LGB&T Community. It has been my experience over the last 6 months as Lord Mayor that the gay community makes an enormous contribution to Belfast, is a great contributor to the City of Belfast and by being here I am giving thanks for that and renewing my support for the concept of including all our people in celebrating diversity in the City”.

The Mayor of North Down said that there has been massive change in Northern Ireland society since he came out in 1996. “The city has also evolved and became a lot more prosperous and peaceful and we have much further to go. We have got to create a city and a Northern Ireland of equals where people are treated equally and celebrated as valued citizens and to do that we need leadership from people to say that diversity is good and should be embraced”. Mayor Muir continued to say “it is great to be here with leaders of change from within the lesbian and gay community and also people from civic society and to transform our society we need more leadership and I am glad to be with people who have been very inspirational”.

Rev. Hudson gave credit by saying “You people yourselves have been a real catalyst for change here in the wonderful city of Belfast and in many ways the peoples voice is ignored and it’s important that it is heard and how it is heard is when people like Máirtín and Andrew use their office for good authority”. Rev Hudson continued to say “They look at people who appear to be on the margins who are excluded and say that’s not going to happen on my watch and we are really fortunate both in North Down and here in Belfast to have two people of excellent authority who have actually stood up showing new light to how this city and how this province can change and you people are part of that change”.

Queerspace is a vibrant volunteer led community group, based on collective planning and action which has served the Belfast LGB&T community since 1998. It’s run through open community meetings which are held on the 1st and 3rd Saturday afternoons of every month followed by a social space where members can relax, enjoy some free refreshments and meet with friends, old and new. Queerspace promotes and organises a wide range of social and cultural activities for the benefit of the LGB&T community and friends throughout the year.

For more information email info@queerspace.org.uk or visit the web site at www.queerspace.org.uk or find it on Facebook.